'Threatened to kill me': Nurse stabbed, burned, held captive by patient

A nurse has detailed her experience of being stabbed, burned, and held captive by a patient who threatened to kill her in what experts say highlights a growing crisis of violence against New Zealand healthcare workers.

The nurse, who was working in the community at the time, said she was visiting a patient in respite care when she was violently attacked and trapped for around 30 minutes before managing to escape.

"I sustained severe physical injuries that included facial fractures, severe bruising, nerve damage, stab wounds to my face, neck and back, and burns to 30% of my body. The assailant threatened to kill me," she wrote.

She said her survival came down to training.

"I survived because I was fit and used the skills I learned in calming and restraint training."

The account was one of two case studies published in the New Zealand Medical Journal to examine the real-life impact of workplace violence on frontline health workers.

Before the attack, the nurse said she had loved her job and felt confident in her role, but the fallout was life changing and "catastrophic".

"The trauma extended far beyond the obvious physical injuries — it dismantled the very fabric of my life. It contributed to the breakdown of my 25-year marriage, the loss of my job and my home, and — most painfully — my sense of self," she said.

"I went from being a respected colleague and clinician to being defined as a victim."

She said the incident deeply affected her friends, colleagues and whānau, "especially my sons".

"My husband, also a registered nurse in mental health, never recovered from the secondary trauma."

The nurse also described feeling let down by the system meant to support her.

As she navigated medical care, police processes and the justice system, she said gaps in support compounded the trauma she was experiencing.

"The lack of procedural clarity and recognition compounded my sense of invisibility and disempowerment."

To access more intensive psychological care, she said she had to accept a diagnosis of post-traumatic stress disorder — something that later worked against her.

"The unintended consequence was discrimination."

A second case outlined in the study highlights how quickly violence can erupt even in controlled environments with multiple staff present.

A psychiatrist said she was assessing a young woman in an intensive care unit at a women’s prison when the situation suddenly escalated.

The patient entered the interview room calmly and sat across from staff, with a nurse, a student and three corrections officers present.

Without warning, she lunged across the desk and punched the psychiatrist in the head.

While the medical professional did not lose consciousness and avoided serious injury, the incident left a lasting impression.

In the immediate aftermath, she continued working, downplaying the seriousness of what had happened.

“I was not severely injured,” she reflected, describing a reluctance to treat the incident as significant.

"I did not wish to waste my or anyone else’s time or energy and I did not view myself as a victim."

The patient who assaulted her went on to attack multiple other staff members in separate incidents, raising a concern about ongoing risk.

The nurse who survived the near-fatal attack said delays in safety improvements and limited support made her recovery harder.

"My wellbeing was not always prioritised. Basic safety measures to monitor staff movements and implement staff alarms took many months."

In one instance, she said feedback that she provided to managers was ignored and that while many collegues were supportive, others responded with avoidance and judgement.

Ultimately, deciding the high stress environment was not worth the toll on her health, she resigned her role and took a job as a mental health promoter at an NGO.

However, her fear returned when the man who attempted to kill her later reappeared as a patient.

"I became seriously concerned for my safety and wellbeing and that of secondary victims. I was eventually released from the stress and harm of the assailant’s return when he passed away in care."

She had since rebuilt her life and career in mental health promotion, finding a "new career path, mana and purpose", though she remained concerned about "systemic complacency" around workplace violence in the health sector.

"It is therefore deeply concerning that workplace assaults remain widespread and, for many, are still part of daily working life in New Zealand."

The authors of the study say the experiences illustrate gaps in care for healthcare workers after violence which leave staff vulnerable to serious harm.

They argued violence in healthcare is too often tolerated, minimised or written off as part of the job, despite its lasting consequences.

Workplace assaults could lead to long-term physical injury, psychological trauma, burnout and staff leaving the profession altogether — further straining an already pressured health system.

They recommended a nationwide approach to collecting, analysing and reporting data on workplace violence across the health sector, research on its impacts, and strengthening health and safety legislation to better identify and manage risks while monitoring violence.

"Staff should expect a safe return home from work," they wrote.